For centuries women have used cloth as a tool of comfort and as an expression of beauty within their homes. Creating cloth for warmth, cloth for shelter, our female predecessors embellished these linens with hand stitch using laborious and time consuming techniques thereby enhancing the functional beauty of objects which enveloped and protected their families. Inspired by these women I hope my creations pay tribute to and recognise the devotion expressed in cloth by our female ancestors .







''the use of traditional often time consuming process alludes to the devotion of a mother''. c K. A. Ruane 2007







Tuesday, June 12, 2012

two hearts, two mirrors and a scattering of French knots




My 4 am bedtime from the previous night caught up with me yesterday evening. I was fit for nothing, not even titivating. Bright eyed and bushy tailed is how I would say I feel today though so titivating has been done this morning and more will come later. The pieces of my wrapping cloth will be joined later too with a video made for school and photos taken for you. 
Yesterday evening though was a poor do...only a tiny bit of embroidery on my new surface followed by a very unusual early night. I don't like going to bed early, frightened of missing something you see. Well I was up with the lark today, a spring in my step and lots of ticking off done on my list of home alone experiences. I could get used to this...

10 comments:

deanna7trees said...

glad you are back to yourself and enjoying your alone time. i am grateful to have so much alone time and the freedom to do as i please. enjoy.

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Very pretty it all is too. I currently have no husband but two exam-sitting teenage sons... Not much ticking-off of experiences being done here. :(

debbie eaves said...

Im embarrased to say that in my earlier years of doing bullion knots and french knots, I thought they were boring. Looking at your work I have a whole new outlook as to how those to knots can improve a piece tremendously. Still when I play around with colored fabric I end up displeased with my product unless it's pastel in color. I have always been a bold color person or ecru. I have a new awakening to white but I do worry alot of soiling. I'm practicing right now but I hope to make 2 beutiful baby blankets for my kids hope chest. Heaven forbid either one ever having a girl. Rotten she'll be I tell you rotten.

Rachel said...

It certainly sounds as though Early Nights could be worth a try!

Jane said...

I love crossing things off lists, feels very satisfying. This looks well worth getting up early for

Joanna said...

I know that weary evening feeling. I am going to have to put a stop to it and get some embroidery done at nights.

Lovely textures you're working with

Carol Q said...

coo - there's a lot of stitching going on there karen. beautiful and the little splashes of colours are just perfect.

Tammie Lee said...

lovely

i feel almost myself today after a good nights sleep, the night before... 4 hours and yesterday i had no brain at all. sleep is so important!

Lois Evensen said...

You are such a happy person, Karen. And, you are so wonderfully creative. Love your blog!

Elizabeth said...

So you experience an early morning heaven! :))